


Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

by ARUKAJOE



Category: Black Clover - 田畠裕基 | Tabata Yuki
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2019-09-18 10:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16993680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARUKAJOE/pseuds/ARUKAJOE
Summary: Magna was what some called a closet bibliophile... he loved books, but not a whole lot of people knew it. Gotta keep up that tough guy image, right? Of course, there was that annoying chick from Blue Rose who knew. At least she didn't give him too much hell about his secret hobby...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fandom needs more fics...

You wouldn't think it when you first saw him, but Magna Swing was a guy who had a fondness for the written word. Hard to believe a street punk not only affiliated with the notorious Black Bulls squad, but gave off an "intimidating bad ass" vibe in public, would be into books.  
  
Only his squad mates and people from Rayaka village knew what a huge dork he was beneath that tough guy act. But even then, most didn't know his appreciation for stories of daring heroes who faced untold amounts of danger and ventured to faraway places. The protagonist with an iron clad set of morals who fought against the odds and saved the day? He admired how manly they were!  
  
He had his favorites in book series, even an author or two he admired. One being a series of fiction based around a far off country where instead of Magic Knights they had only four knights that were the living embodiments of the seasons. The knights were always reborn into a new body when they died and hearing how they protected the land against beings from a demon realm was highly interesting.  
  
There were only three books so far, and Magna owned two of them. They were kept safe in a space under the floorboards beneath his bed. Less chance of Luck destroying them...  
  
“C'mon Magna! Let's fight! If you do I'll give you my pay this month?" Luck pressured as soon as Captain Yami passed out their earnings, his fists charged with lightning magic. "We have the day off and I wanna fight!"  
  
"How about no ya lunatic?" he replied, a sneer on his lip. Magna knew Luck wouldn't be deterred by his answer, and made a note to make sure he didn't try to follow him into the Capital. He'd tried it a couple of times before, and there had been a few close calls.  
  
He didn't want to have to pay for the same book twice, and if Luck knew he liked to read he would hunt for his other books as bait to fight. Then there would be the chance everyone else would find out and give him hell for it. He knew it would be good natured teasing, but he preferred to keep his "bad boy" image as intact as he could. Not that there was much left of it around his friends as is, but if they saw he was a bibliophile it would be irredeemably lost.  
  
He knew they probably wouldn't care about him being a closet nerd, but he just wasn't ready to admit to it. Not yet...  
  
Regardless, Magna had no wish for Luck, or anyone, to discover his secret trips to the bookstore. So when he left on his broom for the Capital, he had snuck off when almost everyone else had left. Vanessa was drinking away in her little corner of the den, sending a small flirt or two his way.  
  
She was miffed when he ignored her, calling him a virgin street punk yet again. But he just snarked back with a comment along the lines of, "What would _you_ know ya drunk?"  
  
She didn't reply other than to grin cheekily.  
  
Asta still had yet to leave, as he was writing his letter home he sent every pay day with all of his earnings. Noble of the squirt, something Magna really admired about the kid. He'd probably spend the day training once he was done. If anything, he doubted Asta would ever judge him for liking books more than anyone. But he'd still rather not risk it.  
  
Then Noelle was lurking about,  but he had no idea what she was up to. He doubted it was anything he should worry about,  seeing as she brushed him off if he tried to ask, so he just shrugged and walked out the door. Noelle would tease him for sure, but as long as she didn't know, it didn't matter.  
  
Once he had Crazy Cyclone prepared for travel, he did another check to make sure Luck was nowhere around, before lifting off and gunning it towards the Capital.  
  
Magna loved traveling with Crazy Cyclone. The wind in his face, the thrum of his mana pulsing through his broom, the view? It was exhilarating!  
  
Some days he wondered what lay beyond the Clover kingdom. Not as in the Diamond kingdom, or even Heart kingdom, but beyond all of that. It was a known fact there was so much more to the world than just what they knew. Captain Yami himself was a testament to that, coming from a faraway country called "The Land of the Rising Sun".  
  
Yami rarely talked about his birth country, and Magna respected him too much to ask. But it left him in awe that someone as powerful as his captain came from a place never heard of beyond whispers in the history of the Clover kingdom.  
  
Were all the people in that country just as amazing as Yami? Able to read ki and would wield swords instead of magic? Were there more places without magic too?  
  
Maybe that's why he enjoyed the _Knights of the Fallen Seasons_ books. They existed in a far off country that while they did use magic, it was rare and most people didn't have it. Kinda like Asta, but not as cool.  
  
The first book had been about an old warrior named Kefnir, nearing the end of his life as he searched for the Spring Archer. He was a mage gifted with ice magic and descended from a demon clan which gave him a frightening appearance. But he still had a kind heart and protected his land and the people within from the curse of eternal winter.  
  
He in time found the Spring Archer, and the land was freed from 100 years of snow. As Kefnir died, he was surrounded by the warmth of Spring and content his journey had come to an end.  
  
Magna only cried a bit, mourning the loss of a great character but invested in knowing how the cycle would end. So he bought the next book.  
  
The second book told more about the Spring Archer, a boy named Jas, as he tried moving on from the loss of Kefnir and seeking a way for the curse laid upon the land to come to an end. He'd been only seven when Kefnir had given him the gift to bring life back to the land. But as he grew, the plant life did too, without end.  
  
Jas had to endure the scorn of people who viewed him as a part of the reason the country was cursed. But he still protected them from the demons that pilfered the land.  
  
Magna was almost finished with the second book, when he heard the third was already out. He could tell from clues in the second book it would end on a sudden plot twist, so he needed the third just so he wouldn't be eaten alive by questions of what would happen next.  
  
Magna had made it to the Capital in record time, and as he touched down to the ground he made sure he landed in a secluded spot. Leaving a binding spell on Crazy Cyclone, he walked towards the bookstore. It was just a precaution while he was gone, but the less chance his baby was stolen, the better.  
  
The jingle of the bell above the shop door was a bit of a nuisance, not only because of the unnecessary noise, but the fact it drew attention to him standing in the doorway.  
  
Magna felt the stares, but only glared as he sauntered in like he owned the place. The shopkeeper gulped, seemingly worried about his presence. But they saw his robe and despite it belonging to a Black Bulls member, decided if he was a magic knight, he was probably here on official business instead of mischief.  
  
He knew he was out of place among the other patrons, mostly citizens who backed away when he drew near, or glares from the few other magic knights. But once he ignored the people around him, looking instead at the thousands of books lined upon the shelves, it clicked. The scent of ink and paper greeted Magna like an old friend and as he slowly perused the aisles there was a small smile on his face.  
  
He'd stop once or twice to check out a promising title, making notes for future reading material, but his fingers skimmed the covers looking for a particular symbol on the spine.  
  
The author of the _Knights of the Fallen Seasons_ was anonymous, leaving only a strange mark on the spine. It was some kind of squash bearing a blue heart underneath the title. It was a strange way to sign a book, but he grew familiar with the insignia, having traced it many a time when pulling his books from the enchanted box he kept them stored in.  
  
The box had been a good investment,  seeing as it was impervious to magic attacks and made to store items much bigger than itself inside. He'd saved up three months of his wages for it, even skipping a few gambling sessions. It could only be opened by a key he hid on his person at all times.  
  
But back to his search, he was having a bit of trouble locating the symbol. Since there was no letters to go by in the author's insignia, he'd have to scour the shelves instead of searching alphabetically.  
  
The next twenty minutes inched by, Magna checking cover to cover, pausing only if he thought he had a lead. He almost bumped into a few people looking, but they just scurried out of his way before he'd mumble any kind of apology. He was on the last two rows when he froze.  
  
There it was. That weird symbol!  
  
Grinning, he stretched his hand out for the book, hoping it wasn't another copy of _The Winter Warrior from the Demon Realm_ or _The Archer of the Spring Solstice._  
  
As he reached for the book, his fingers about to touch the spine, he saw the small hand brush his and heard the soft intake of breath as the person beside him looked over, and he returned the favor.

 

  
  
It was a girl. A very tiny girl with a Blue Rose robe tied together with a black ribbon and frilly lace decorating the edges of the fabric. She was dressed in an orange, long sleeve shirt, and instead of a skirt she wore jeans cut off at mid-thigh.  
  
Her wide gray eyes looked at him with curiosity from beneath her choppy brown bangs, stunned for a moment or two before flitting off towards the ground.  
  
Her hand retracted as she whispered an apology and despite himself, he spoke before she scurried off.  
  
"You can take the book girlie."  
  
Her gaze returned to his, the shock returning. But she just smiled nervously the next second and spoke.  
  
"It's fine. You had it first."  
  
Normally he wouldn't be bothered by people being a bit afraid of him. It made his ego inflate most of the time. But he actually was trying to be nice and show _some_ kind of manners? So maybe he was a trifle offended.  
  
And enough of a "trifle" to insult the crazy chick. "Uh? No? I said you take it. Or are you hard of hearing?"  
  
Her resulting frown and determined expression told him he was in for a fight. Which was fine with him. He'd be damned if he'd back down whether she was a girl or not.  
  
"I insist," she replied, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
Oh, it was _on_ ~


	2. Chapter 2

Fritzi had never been to this book shop before, but quickly added it to a list of ones she didn't care for. The shopkeeper gave her some odd looks, some of the books were in poor condition, and the way it was all organized really agitated her.  
  
She'd decided to stop here in the instance they had a few things she was looking for, maybe a rare book or two. This was a shop close to the underground market after all, and books from other countries had a fair chance of winding up here.   
  
She only found one, written in a language she couldn't understand but contained illustrations of a young girl interacting with strange creatures, including a cat with a weird smile. It seemed charming, whatever the story was about.   
  
Fritzi often was asked why she collected books she couldn't read, particularly ones written in heathen countries past the vast ocean.   
  
She wasn't entirely sure herself, but it was like they needed to be saved. Books that managed to survive the vast waters they traversed, and untold amounts of people who would just burn such "useless" items. They were made by people who had a story to tell, who was she to throw away the love put into their pages just because she couldn't understand them?   
  
Spotting a familiar title among the shelves, it brought a smile to her face. Fritzi knew that symbol all too well, and out of curiosity as well as an odd sense of nostalgia, she reached for it.   
  
However, her neighboring patron seemed to have a similar notion as her fingers crossed paths with a hand bearing fingerless leather gloves. A confused hum drew her attention to their face, leading her to unintentionally stare at the punk looking back with a vaguely disinterested expression.   
  
Fritzi instantly felt a sense of nervousness, the emotion strengthening upon noting the magic knights robe he wore. One of those rough housing lunatics from the infamous Black Bulls...   
  
She inwardly scolded herself, letting Sol and the other Blue Rose members' opinions cause her to judge this guy before she knew him.   
  
But he definitely was intimidating, that was for certain.   
  
Deciding the book must have been what he was after, she retracted her hand and whispered an apology. However, he seemed more interested in her at the moment than the book.   
  
"You can take the book girlie," he told her.   
  
Pausing, Fritzi looked at him again as she was stunned at his kindness. It made her a touch suspicious, but she recalled the exact book they both were after. She honestly didn't need it, already having a copy.   
  
Maybe he really enjoyed the book series?   
  
She wasn't able to explain it, but that made her rather happy he read it. So, semi-forcing a smile, she decided to let him buy it.   
  
"It's fine. You had it first."   
  
Fritzi thought she was being nice, but apparently that was the wrong thing to say. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses, and his mouth twisted into a disturbing sneer.   
  
His voice was an angry, condescending tone as he replied with, "Uh? No? I said you take it. Or are you hard of hearing?"   
  
...Okay, she didn't care for his high handed behaviour at _all_ . She didn't take it from the nobles in her squad, and she wasn't going to be insulted by some Black Bulls creep without giving him a firm piece of her mind!   
  
"I insist," she replied with a firm tone, placing her hands on her hips. He wanted to argue over who was leaving with this book?   
  
So be it.   
  
“Take the damn thing." he grumbled aggressively.   
  
"I didn't catch that through your grunting... were you agreeing to take the book?" Crossing her arms, she was aware they were gathering attention.   
  
"Geez, you Blue Rose chicks really know how to tear into a guy who's just trying to be nice!"   
  
That actually stung. It was true most girls from her squad would do just that. However, she was trying to be more open minded than them.   
  
But right now, this guy was pushing _all_ the wrong buttons.   
  
"And I should have known better than to expect a guy from the Black Bulls to appreciate kindness without getting insulted. Take the book already and just drop it," she growled.   
  
"What 'kindness'? You started this so take it!"   
  
Every reply he moved closer towards her, but instead of backing down, she took a step forward until they both were practically in each other's face.   
  
"Uhm? Can you take your spat elsewhere?" questioned the shopkeeper.   
  
"Butt out!" They both replied with a glare before returning to each other to argue further.   
  
Inhaling a deep breath, she decided to concede because it was true they were making a scene.   
  
"Fine. I'll take the book, but only to shut you up."   
  
Swiping the book off the shelf, she strutted to the counter to pay. The clerk didn't dare look at her funny this time.   
  
It could have been ended easily, but as she placed her coins down, she heard the asshole say "Glad you saw things my way girlie," he sneered while walking past, exiting the shop.   
  
Snatching up her purchase, she stormed after him and chucked the book at his head.   
  
"Keep it you creep!" she yelled angrily over his cry of pain and surprise.   
  
Rubbing the spot where the book collided, the guy glared at her. Stomping over towards her, Fritzi stood her ground. She probably shouldn't have escalated to violence, but he really needed to be knocked down a few pegs.   
  
Instead of a blow, he just shoved the book into her chest. "You bought it, I sure as hell don't want a book paid for by some psychotic witch like you."   
  
"Liar! You wouldn't have grabbed it if you didn't want it!" Fritzi chided.   
  
"Excuse me?!"   
  
Exhaling, she realized she should be the one to reign in her temper. He sure wasn't going to. "Look. It's clear you want it, so just take it. You don't have to keep it. Heck, you can just borrow the stupid thing! But I don't need a book I already own." With that, she extended the book towards him.   
  
The Black Bulls delinquent looked ready to retort, but he looked at the book and his expression softened a bit. Looking back at her with a sharp stare, he sighed.   
  
"Fine. I'll borrow it from ya, but don't nag at me if it takes me longer to read it than to your liking. Unlike you Blue Rose brats, we Black Bulls actually have stuff to do besides harassing random guys in bookstores." Reaching forward, he plucked it out of her hands.   
  
"Funny. Last I heard, rough housing and getting drunk didn't qualify as actual work."   
  
Shrugging, he turned away. "Wouldn't expect a prissy little thing like you to understand a _real_ man's work. I'll mail it back to ya when I'm done. Any ways, here's to hoping I never run into _you_ again."   
  
"The feeling is mutual..."   
  
Still fuming, Fritzi just walked away.   
  
It wasn't until later when she calmed down that Fritzi realized she never gave him her name so he could send her back the book. In the end, she realized she didn't care. It was her own way of unintentionally getting that idiot to keep it, and her smug satisfaction was worth the money spent.   
  
However, unknown to Fritzi, this was not the last time she'd see that Black Bull delinquent...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays. Enjoy Chapter 3~

If it had not been for the fact he'd managed to get a few lucky hands at gambling afterwards, Magna probably would have stayed in a bad mood the rest of that day. The aggravating witch he'd run into really had pissed him off, and even if he'd taken the book, he only did so because it was the one he needed and he could read it without paying for it.   
  
He actually made a good amount in his gambling ventures, and was glad to say he had a nice amount to send back home to the folks in Rayaka village. It actually made him smile thinking about how they could use the money to better their lives, even just a bit.   
  
Maybe he should do what Asta did and send his full wages home instead of gambling?   
  
... or he could continue gambling and strike it super rich?   
  
That soft smile turned devious as he pictured the second option. It stuck as he landed Crazy Cyclone back at the Black Bulls headquarters, put her away safely, and walked back inside.   
  
Only to be shocked by electricity the second his hand touched the door handle...   
  
The door flung open, knocking Magna backwards as a particular blonde prankster shot forward with his usual smile.   
  
"Hey! I got you good that time, ha ha!"   
  
Sitting up with a glare, Magna growled back, "You better say your prayers, you idiot..." As he brought himself to stand, a blistering hot fireball formed in his right hand. "I'm gonna roast that cheeky grin off your face!"   
  
Luck just smiled wider. "Does that mean you wanna fight?" A crackle of electricity magic pulsated around the battle crazed blonde in anticipation. "Let's do this!"   
  
"Bring it!" was all that was said before Magna launched the massive fireball towards Luck that split apart into dozens of others, hurtling towards their target like a meteor shower.   
  
Luck merely jumped aside with his magic-enhanced speed. Chuckling, he commented, "Oh wow! You are going all out today! You must be super angry!"   
  
"Shut it you jerk!" Magna yelled as he brought his flaming bat into the fray and shot fireballs towards Luck at rapid fire. Grinning like the happy berserker he was, Luck sent a jolt of electricity towards the hot head that he managed to dodge by the skin of his teeth.   
  
The mindless brawl could have continued for quite some time, if not for a particularly pissed Captain Yami stepping in, and smashing a wall with a guttural roar of "Will you two stop breaking shit?!"   
  
And just like that, flames fizzled out and electricity died down to nothing, leaving the room in an uneasy silence that almost made it seem like the previous chaos was nothing but the fruit of an overactive imagination. If not for the singed furniture and craters left in the walls from the attack spells, of course.   
  
Magna lowered himself in a formal bow as he gave what he hoped was a respectful "Sorry Captain Yami, sir!"   
  
Luck just stood there with a whine of "Aww, that's no fun Captain! Unless you wanna fight too?!"   
  
"Not a chance," grumbled one Yami Sukehiro as he flopped onto the couch without an ounce of grace. Blowing a cloud of cigarette smoke, the mountain of a man glanced at Magna.   
  
"You just getting back?" Smirking and changing to a teasing tone, Yami continued with, "Must have had better luck at the gambling den this time then, considering you aren't wandering in with nothing but your underwear."   
  
"That's a relief," Noelle commented from her seat on one of the other couches.   
  
Ignoring Noelle, Magna grinned. "It's not much, but I still made out pretty well."   
  
Asta, who had been attracted by the earlier commotion and caught the tail end of the conversation, was now smiling. "So now you can send it back home to the folks in your village? That's awesome!"   
  
Grinning back at him, Magna gave a thumbs up. "You bet! And if I keep getting lucky they'll be living the high life in no time!"   
  
"Not that a Magic Knight's pay will get you there..." Noelle started. "But you would do better if you quit blowing most of it on gambling in the first place."   
  
"Yeah, cuz I'm sure being born rich you know everything about being generous," Magna snarked back. Picking up his bag of winnings with the new book inside, he slung it over his shoulder with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm getting some shut eye. See you guys tomorrow."   
  
"Night Magna!" Asta grinned.   
  
Waving, Magna charted his way back to his room. It was habit by now, having spent at least a few years at the Black Bulls headquarters. The shifting rooms and pillars were all just another part of his life at this point.   
  
And besides, he had marked his door with some personal touches. He found it within twenty minutes of searching.   
  
Flopping on his bed with a content sigh, he paused for a moment to listen to the creaking of the castle, and the distant ruckus from downstairs. He wasn't really tired, more just eager to finish where he was in  _ The Archer of the Spring Solstice _ before starting the new book.   
  
Getting off the bed, he pulled up the mattress to reach for the loose floorboard he kept his storage box in. Once pushed aside, the box was simple enough to find. It was about the size of his two fists put together, but part of the reason it was expensive was the fact it could hold items up to twenty times it's own size within. Add to it the fact it was indestructible and it made the perfect thing to hide his book collection in.   
  
Unlocking it, he pulled out the second  _ Knights of the Fallen Seasons _ book and placed it on the nightstand.   
  
Taking time to pen a brief letter home and sending it along with what he got from gambling, he placed his robe on the back of his the chair with great care. Taking time to remove his leather jacket and gloves as well, he placed them on his desk, leaving his boots beneath it.   
  
And until the early hours of the morning, he spent the rest of the night pouring over the story of Akir, the Knight of Summer.

  
♧~♧~♧~♧~♧~♧   
  
  


She couldn't believe it.   
  
Fritzi had almost forgotten about the incident with the roughian from the Black Bulls, having been busy on several missions as of late. But apparently he'd managed to find a way to return the book to her after two weeks.   
  
Of course, sending it back to "the Blue Rose chick from the bookstore" was rather vague, but thankfully a friend of hers recognized the book enough to return it to her.   
  
And they sure had been hard pressed from the state it was in. The spine was bent, the pages scorched and it reeked of gravy.   
  
How on earth did he manage that?   
  
It would have been so simple to let it go. Just toss the book out and forget the whole thing.   
  
But it irked her too much he was so careless with not only a book, but another person's belongings. Setting down, she wrote her feelings in a letter, fully expressing her displeasure.   
  
  


_ Dear Black Bulls Lackwit, _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Seeing as you clearly have no ability to care for books, it makes me wonder if you really were in that bookstore for a good reason. These are unacceptable conditions to keep a book in! It's practically falling apart and stinks of gravy! Next time you borrow something, take care of it instead of being an irresponsible nitwit! _ _   
_ _   
_ __ Signed, a highly concerned Book Lover a.k.a. the girl from the bookstore   
  
  


Addressing it to the “hot headed moron from the Black Bulls”, she handed it off to the mail courier before thinking on it. Crossing her arms, Fritzi hoped he would take some of her words to heart at least.


	4. Chapter 4

Magna was minding his own business, eating a hearty breakfast. He wasn't expecting much to happen today unless a mission popped up and he was assigned to join. The fact Yami walked into the dining hall early in the morning and called out to him was what lead him to believe it was just that, a mission he was needed for.   
  
But that glare didn't look promising...   
  
Yami stepped up beside him and tossed down an envelope on the table. "A letter showed up and as far as I can tell it's for you." Exhaling a cloud of smoke with a look of pure annoyance at being woken up, he continued. "Tell whoever wrote you to adress it to you next time instead of just putting as 'hot headed moron from the Black Bulls'. Otherwise it becomes my problem when the mail guy leaves it to me to figure out which of you morons they mean."   
  
"Y-Yes sir!" Magna said, standing with a salute.   
  
"Good. Now, I'm going back to bed..." Yami then sauntered off to find Finral, seeing as he couldn't be bothered to walk back to his room.   
  
Picking up the letter Magna scowled.   
  
He had a good feeling who it was from, but hoped it wasn't. But sure enough, as he picked the envelope up and freed the missive, he quickly checked the bottom before reading over that girl's note. But he only grew furious as he read the contents, and rightfully so.   
  
Who the hell was she to think he was at that bookstore for dishonest reasons?! And it wasn't his fault that he tripped when returning the book and it landed in one of the Sheep Cooks frying pans! At least Charmy let him have it back...   
  
He couldn't take this lying down!   
  
Storming off to his room, he sat at his desk and grabbed a piece of paper that he started furiously writing his reply. Unfortunately, the force of his anger tore a hole in the paper and he wound up burning it before starting over.

  
  
_ To the completely snobby chick from the bookstore, _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Look here, I don't like you assuming I was in that bookstore to rob the place or whatever! Unlike what you think, I am a Magic Knight and my job is to help people. I wouldn't expect some girl from the oh so prestigious Blue Rose to have any understanding of what I have had to go through to get where I am! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Your book got trashed, my bad! Accidents happen, but I don't think you would have done any better. Hell, you would have had it reduced to ashes! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ And next time you decide to reply, cuz I'm sure you got something else to say, address the letter right. _ _   
_ _   
_ __ Signed, the manly Magna Swing of the Black Bulls.

  
  
Writing 'to the girl from the bookstore' yet again on the envelope, he placed the letter in a pile of others to be sent.   
  
With luck, maybe he'd get sent on a mission soon.

  
  
♧~♧~♧~♧~♧~♧   
  
  


Fritzi didn't receive the letter until a few days later. She had received a knock on her door, and upon answering she met Michael, one of the few boys in the Blue Rose squad.   
  
"H-hello Miss Fritzi..." he mumbled.   
  
Fritzi gave the younger boy a smile. He was a new recruit, and very timid. A lot of the girls bullied him and made fun of his large glasses.   
  
"Hello Michael. How can I help you?"   
  
She tried to treat the boys in the squad with some kindness. After all, if it wasn't being bullied by the women, it was being made to do the worse of the chores. Some girls foisted all of their share on the boys, and Fritzi felt it was unfair to treat them like slaves.   
  
Michael gave a bow, which was a silly gesture the girls of nobility suggested that all males in the squad do. "Captain Ch-Charlotte requested I find the recipient of this letter, and I recalled the b-book that was sent to you a few days ago..? I think it's y-yours..."   
  
Outstretching his hand with the letter, Fritzi took it with a much warmer smile. "Thank you so much... Have a wonderful day, alright?"   
  
"Y-Yes ma'am..." he stammered with another bow, giving a shy grin in return.   
  
Once he left, Fritzi frowned at the envelope. She had a feeling it was from that creep at the Black Bulls again.   
  
Withdrawing back into her room, she mentally prepared herself for whatever it was she was about to read. But it did very little to help as she read the contents.   
  
He dared assume she was that shallow? What a jerk!   
  
Placing the letter on the dresser, Fritzi decided he wasn't worth a reply. She'd prove him wrong by ignoring him.   
  
...But dammit. It was eating at her he'd thought she was accusing him of trying to commit a crime.   
  
Sighing, she picked up the letter and read through it again, trying to read between the lines this time. It was clear he took his job as a Magic Knight seriously, and he mentioned he wanted to help people, so that was a point in his favor.   
  
And judging from how he signed his letter, he had an ego. If signing as the "Manly" Magna Swing was anything to go by.   
  
It didn't change the fact has was hot headed and irresponsible, but she wondered if maybe she had judged this Black Bull after all...   
  
Picking up a pen and some parchment, she swallowed her pride and started writing.

  
  
_ Dear "Manly" Idiot, _ _   
_ _   
_ _ You were right, I do have something else to say. And maybe you also were right in thinking I judged you without knowing you. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ I let my anger over the book cloud my judgement, and for that I apologize. When I met you at the bookstore, I honestly was more glad to find you enjoyed that particular book series than wondering if you were up to something devious. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ You could say the 'Knights of the Fallen Seasons' is a series close to my heart, and I wanted you to have the third book that day so maybe you could continue enjoying it? Or maybe I am just assuming you like it. You could just have been browsing... _ _   
_ _   
_ _ I'm sorry for the assumptions and letting my temper get the better of me. You won't have to hear anymore about me complaining. _ _   
_ _   
_ __ Signed, Fritzi Vontúse

  
  
Pausing as a last thought she added.

  
  
_ P.s. Can I ask what you like most about the 'Knights of the Fallen Seasons'? _   
  


Maybe she was buckling down too easily, but she really did feel bad. Fritzi hoped that, in time, this wouldn't come back to haunt her.   
  
Addressing the letter properly like he asked, she paused as she reread his name.   
  
"Magna Swing..? Interesting name..." she mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy your New Year. ;3


	5. Chapter 5

Magna was in a better mood after returning from the latest mission, having let off steam by knocking around a couple of goons causing problems in the common realm. That, and there had been significantly less damage to the town than usual, so he wasn't chewed out  _ too _ harshly.   
  
But as soon as he got back to his room, he noticed two letters addressed to him. One he had a sinking feeling was from the Blue Rose wench.   
  
Deciding to save that one for last, he read the letter from the folks back home instead. They asked him how he was, whether he was still being reckless, thanking him for the money he'd sent back and talked about the new crops they planned to get for the coming years thanks to him. They told Magna how things were going since he last visited, and every word had his smile growing wider and wider.   
  
Now he got why Asta sent his wages home every time he got them. It made him feel good inside knowing how much it helped his loved ones...   
  
Taking time to savor the feeling, he spaced out for a minute or two before placing the letter in his drawer. He'd make sure to put it in the box for safe-keeping later.   
  
Giving the other letter an unamused stare, he shrugged. He could wait until tomorrow to read it?   
  
But he had the urge to read it now, despite knowing that his good mood would be shattered. So, letting out a sigh he tore open the seal and started reading.   
  
This certainly wasn't what he had expected. The first two sentences had him annoyed, but before torching the letter, his eye caught the words "I judged you without knowing you".   
  
Deciding not to light it on fire, he sat back and looked closer at what she had to say.   
  
She had not meant to judge him, but just was glad he liked the same books she did? Get out of here...   
  
But something about her words seemed sincere. And she wanted to know what he thought about the books after giving what seemed to be a heartfelt apology.   
  
And now he sat there, stupefied. How did he respond to this girl... Fritzi? How would he reply to her now that he felt like a bit of a... well, a jerk?   
  
It was too much to think about right now. He was worn out from the mission, and he should take a bath before dozing off.   
  
He'd reply tomorrow.   
  
As Magna took a change of clothes to the men's bath, he passed by Vanessa who was probably looking for her own room on the women's corridor. She was sober, but looked a bit tired herself.   
  
"Hey there," she greeted with a half-hearted wave.   
  
"Hey Vanessa."   
  
She paused. "You actually smiled when you said that. You must be in a really good mood."   
  
Frowning a bit, he shrugged. "What of it?"   
  
Crossing her arms, she grinned. "You have a nice smile when it's not devious. Good to see it every now and then."   
  
"Shut it, Wine-o..." he muttered.   
  
"Aww... now you're blushing. Little virgin delinquent is shy under that tough guy image..." she teased.   
  
Growling, Magna just stomped off. He had a retort on his lips, but figured he didn't want to get into an argument with her when he actually was feeling pretty relaxed.   
  
Vanessa noticed he was acting oddly, seeing as normally he'd be trash talking back at this point. But she waved it off, preferring to go grab a bottle or three of alcohol and pass out than think on it further.   
  
The next day, Magna spent a good three hours trying to find a way to reply to the letter from Fritzi.   
  
What a weird name...   
  
In the end, he found a reply he didn't want to instantly burn into oblivion, and sent it before he changed his mind.   
  
Now, he should go do some training. Maybe Asta would be willing to help him with his aim again?

  
  
♧~♧~♧~♧~♧~♧

  
  
Preparing for another mission, Fritzi was fidgeting with the ribbon tying her Magic Knights robe together as she waited for the two younger members to show up. She had a feeling she'd have to hunt them down if they wanted to leave on time.   
  
They had an escort mission and despite not wanting to babysit a spoiled ten year old niece of a noble as she traveled to the Capital, Fritzi knew it was her job and professionalism came before her discomfort. And being professional required being on time.   
  
At least these two didn't have to sit in her Pumpkin Coach and listen to a young noble complain about the conditions of the road and the embarrassment of riding in a "giant squash". Fritzi took offense when people chided her choice of transportation. She loved her Pumpkin Magic, so anyone with a problem could go kiss a toad in her opinion.   
  
And the girl certainly would be hard pressed to find a toad that would let her. She was an obnoxious little thing who liked to scream over the smallest of things. Fritzi could already feel the headache forming in her skull.   
  
Her only possible saving grace was the letter she received. She hoped the fellow from the Black Bulls had been accepting of her apology, but if not she could vent some frustration by thinking up a good response regardless of the outcome.   
  
The two young ladies eventually showed up, and despite being miffed, Fritzi just held the poker face she normally kept and lead them towards the rendezvous spot where they were to pick up Misses Laurine Perritson. It took only about three hours on a broom, but the young lady was insistent on bringing along a bunch of frivolous gowns and lacy trinkets...   
  
While Fritzi was grateful to not have to ride a broom seeing as she feared heights, a fact she hid rather well given she always rode by herself, she knew having her Pumpkin Coach carry all the frippery and their escort was going to consume a lot of her mana. Meaning the need to stop and rest a few times would make the trip a lot slower. A full day in fact...   
  
"What an atrocious looking carriage..." Young Misses Perritson commented as Fritzi summoned the Pumpkin Coach.   
  
She gave what she hoped was a graceful curtsy. "My lady, I'm afraid my coach may not be the prettiest thing, but it will ensure you a safe ride to the Capital and keep all your treasured belongings in pristine condition."   
  
God how she hated sucking up...   
  
But that was the life of a baker's daughter, even if he too had been a Magic Knight once. If you were from the Common or Forsaken realm, you had to bend and scrape the boots of nobility and royals to avoid trouble.   
  
Fritzi's dad had been in the illustrious Crimson Lion Kings, but besides making it to a high rank, he'd always been looked down upon for being a commoner.   
  
He still had been so proud of her making it into the Magic Knights.   
  
Smiling a bit at Misses Laurine, she knew she could handle a whiny little brat fairly easy. If her father believed she could be a fantastic Magic Knight, Fritzi would do her finest to live up to his expectations.   
  
Young Misses Perritson sighed ever-so dramatically as she climbed inside the Pumpkin Coach.   
  
This trip would go fine.   
  
"Well? Let's go! I'm already running late because of you idiots..."   
  
...Probably.


	6. Chapter 6

Fritzi was exhausted and moody by the time her Pumpkin Coach rolled into the capital.

There had been no complications on the journey towards the Capital. But if you listened to Miss Perritson whine and cry to her aunt about the bumps in the road that hurt her delicate backside, or the fact she forgot a parasol or twelve back home like it was the fault of her escorts, you would think there had been countless roughians and beasts who had tried to eat her alive.

At the very least, the aunt had not been swayed by her niece's complaints and given a word of thanks and offered a meal in gratitude to the hard-working magic knights who had brought the girl to her home safely. Fritzi complied to eat something only because of the simple fact she would collapse of hunger otherwise. Using her magic was always taxing on her mana supply, so she had to eat often to keep from passing out.

Once she and her team were through eating, they excused themselves with an explanation of having to leave. Despite the kindness of the aunt, they had had their fill of Misses Laurine Perritson and her bratty attitude.

Despite being exhausted before, Fritzi was now wide awake as she, Ziri and Folia, her two younger squad mates, ambled through town, heading back towards headquarters. The sun was slowly sinking into the distant horizon, and the town was alight with the fading rays.

Briefly pausing, Fritzi stared at the colorful array of lights above the far off hills and mountains. It was enchanting, and made her think of days in her childhood where she'd be scurrying home to eat supper with her family. She'd be covered in mud and carrying a lizard or interesting rock she found in her pocket, and her mother would fuss at her for tracking dirt in while her dad would just laugh.

He didn't mind she was a tomboy. He even let her wear pants instead of dresses and cut her hair short. She suspected sometimes maybe he'd wanted a son, but was happy with a daughter who liked to do things boys would. But she hated those thoughts. Her parents loved her, no matter how she was.

"Hey Fritzi!" Folia yelled.

Slightly startled, Fritzi gave her squadmates her attention. "Y-yes?"

"There you are. You spaced out again... Me and Ziri are going to do some shopping before heading back to HQ. Wanna join?" Folia asked.

Pausing to think about it for a moment or two, she shook her head. "No, I should tell Captain Charlotte about the mission. But you go have fun."

Folia frowned. "Geez... do you ever have fun? You're either in your room or on a mission... it's just creepy."

"I just like staying busy..." explained Fritzi.

Giving an exasperated grunt, Folia walked off. "Fine..."

Ziri met her halfway, and Fritzi could clearly hear her say, "Told you that weirdo wouldn't join."

Narrowing her eyes, Fritzi just turned away to strut back towards Blue Rose headquarters. She should not care what those two thought, but it never made it easy to be seen as a freak just for being an introvert.

She walked quickly, clutching the letter from the Black Bulls fellow. She still had not read it like she'd hoped. When she tried, she just got a headache from skimming through the first few words because Misses Laurine had not stopped talking the whole trip.

Multitasking had still been a skill she had yet to develop. Or tuning out loud voices...

Fritzi was not sure what to expect from the contents inside. In all honesty she felt nervous, but wasn't sure why. But she would analyze it later after giving her report to Captain Charlotte.

Fritzi had nothing but respect for Captain Charlotte. Despite her distant exterior, she was a strong and independent woman who could cut down opponents as effectively with her words as her Briar magic. But she cared about her squad's members and the people of the Clover kingdom.

Captain Charlotte was far from heartless, but she had little patience for tardiness or tomfoolery. Fritzi needed to give her full attention when speaking to her captain.

Once she arrived back at headquarters, she looked for the captain's office. If she wasn't there, Fritzi would write down her report on paper to file away later. Which she would have to do anyways, but it was always best to give a vocal report as well.

Standing before the door, Fritzi knocked delicately before awaiting a reply.

"State your name, rank, and business," called a chilly feminine voice from beyond the lacquered wood.

"Fritzi Vontúse, Intermediate Rank Magic Knight Class 4, awaiting to give my report to Captain Charlotte Roselei." she replied with a no-nonsense tone.

A pause before the voice, now a significant amount less harsh, said, "Enter."

Opening the door without hesitation and shutting it behind her delicately, Fritzi turned about and stood straight with the salute to the Clover kingdom on display as she awaited Captain Charlotte's orders.

"At ease."

The Blue Rose captain was a beautiful woman. Honey blonde hair and blue eyes that made men both fall in love and cower before her. She was a warrior before a woman, and her resolve was thicker than her armor.

As Fritzi lowered her hand, she remained standing, hands at her sides.

Charlotte Roselei smirked at the show of respect, but only briefly. "You may fill me in on the details of your report."

"Yes Captain. Our escort mission to the Capital with Lady Perritson went without any troubles. We delivered..." The report went on for roughly twenty minutes, Captain Charlotte asking questions on occasion before dismissing Fritzi.

Once she managed to get the paperwork filled out, she made notes for Ziri and Folia to give their own reports, but she doubted they would. But that she couldn't make them do it, so it really was redundant to write the notes down.

When she managed to finally get back to her room, Fritzi sat at her desk with a tired sigh. She had the letter in her pocket still, and despite her weariness and trepidation, she was curious what that Magna guy had said.

Pulling out the slightly crumpled envelope, she pulled out the paper and started read.

_Dear Blue Rose wench,_

Crinkling her nose in annoyance, Fritzi wasn't sure why she expected him to use her name, but just kept reading.

 _I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting an apology of all things from you._   _And frankly, I'm on the fence whether to believe you or not._   _As far as_ _I_ _know, girl's like you_ _don't_ _apologize to guys like me without some reason, and whether_ _I_ _like books or not has nothing to do with it_.

_But it's whatever... I can't really say why I like those books. They just have a good story I guess._

_So, seeing as you asked a question,_ _I_ _have one for you. What made you suddenly want to turn around and say sorry?_

_Signed, Magna_

Setting the letter down, Fritzi racked her brain trying to figure that out herself. He did have a point. She gave in easy and apologized to him despite his ego and temper.

The fact he liked books was not a good enough reason. So why?

For the life of her, Fritzi had no idea. At least right now. She should wash off the dirt from the mission and get some sleep. 

Doing just that, she curled up under the sheets after a bath, easily dozing off after a long day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize for the lack of a new chapter in awhile. Things have been a bit crazy, but I want to say I was completely touched by the reviews I received from you who enjoyed what is written so far. The kind comments got me inspired to kick my own ass and start writing again. I can't promise the next chapters will be soon or even a good 1k, but I will do my best to keep this story going. :"3

A week or so had passed since Magna sent his letter to the chick from Blue Rose. He wasn't really anticipating another letter from her after he basically called her out to tell him the truth about her change in behavior towards him. She probably would never reply, or if she did it would be to chew him out for his "impertinence".

So, here he was at the base, hanging out in the main room while watching Noelle and Asta bicker. Or more like Noelle fuss at something Asta did and him whine about what he could have done wrong. Flitting his eyes towards the rest of the room, he noticed Luck was hiding something behind his back as he inched over towards Gauche, who as always was looking into one of his magic mirrors to gush over his sister like a creep. Grinning as he waited to see what going to happen next, he heard Finral call out to him.

"Hey Magna? There's a letter here for you?" he said, extending a hand holding a piece of paper out to him.

"Huh?" he said, trying to watch as Luck put a small lizard down the back of Gauche's shirt. However, Luck was sorely dissapointed as Gauche didn't even budge from his conversation with his sister, even when the reptile started crawling onto his shoulder.

"Better luck next time buddy," Magna commented at Luck.

"Are you even listening?" Finral asked.

Shrugging, Magna swiped the letter. "Yeah, some letter or something. Thanks."

Finral sighed, but took notice of the blue sealing wax with a certain mark on it, with a very nice hand writing on the the envelope. Was Magna getting a letter from someone at Blue Rose? How strange...

Deciding it wasn't his place to pry into his friend's business, he just walked away.

Finral wasn't the only one observing Magna as he opened the envelope to read over the contents. Vanessa noted that Magna's mouth changed from a scowl, to a confused frown, to downright gaping as his face flushed.

"What the hell?!" he yelled, definitely grabbing more than just Vanessa's attention.

Asta looked over at Magna, asking "What's wrong?"

Realizing he actually said the curse out loud, Magna looked up to see his friends looking at him. "It's nothing. Top secret mission stuff..."

Looking away, he tried not to bring anymore attention to himself.

However, being the one to always call him out on his bullshit, Noelle asked "Since when have you of all people been on a top secret mission? Or even warrented the kind of reputation to be put on a top secret mission?"

"It's not very top secret if I told you Noe-noe..." he grumbled, using the silly nickname he made for her to infuriate her enough where she might back off.

But then Vanessa chimed in. "You aren't giving off the vibe of someone hiding government secrets. Your face is red, and you look incredibly annoyed at us for just asking about a letter."

Growling, he stood up with a comment of "It's none of your damn business is what it is!" He then stomped off outside with the message crumpled in his hand.

Once he was calmed down about a half mile or so away later, he sat down in the shade of a tree to glare at the dirt for a bit before looking back at the letter.

_In response to the doofus from the Black Bulls,_

_I've been thinking for awhile about your question about how I was the one to give in and apologize so easily. I can understand exactly why you are suspicious if I am being truthful, or if I have ulterior motives._

_Sadly, I don't have a really good answer. But what I can say is that despite your attitude and cocky behaviour, you come off as a person true to their feelings and not very likely to lie. And in a way I did have ulterior motives, but all I really wanted was to hear the thoughts of the books you read since you seemed like someone who could be honest in your opinions._

_I again apologize, this time for bothering you over such a silly thing. And I do admit I was upset you lumped me in with the other girls from my squad who treat all men like dirt. But truth be told, you were right. The second I saw you, you scared me and I instantly thought the worst of you. And I only made it worse by almost accusing you of trying to commit a crime over a silly book getting damaged._

_As it is, you don't have to accept my apologies for being so rude. But they certainly needed to be said._

_If you wouldn't mind it, I would like to get to know you a bit better. Maybe talk face to face again, only without arguing? I will leave the decision up to you._

_Signed, Fritzi Vontúse_

Having read over it another time didn't change the shock he recieved at the contents. Magna still couldn't believe she actually wanted to see him in person again, seeing as she openly admitted she was afraid of him.

One part of him wanted to, just to see how she held out if he was there to see her face to see if she was actually as sincere as she seemed. Another wondered if it was a trick and she'd screw him over in some way if he went. Then he also wanted to get to know her a bit more as well, despite knowing he should care less about some snobby brat from a squad of man-hating harpies lead by a living iron maiden.

Sighing, he decided there was really only one option. After all, she may be different from the rest, and he could be judging her as much as she had him. And even if she was up to something, he was the last person to back down from a fight.

Grinning, he stood and started walking back to the base. He had to write his answer if he actually intended to see this girl again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy late birthday Magna-kun!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow? Another chapter so soon? And it's freaking huge! You guys really got me motivated, that's for sure! XD

The sky was cloudy, and the wind was blowing strong enough to cause the leaves of the nearby trees to give a dry rustle as they shook. As she trudged down the pathway of plantlife leading away from the castle that served as the Blue Rose base of operations, Fritzi tried to let the cool gusts of wind soothe her raging thoughts and tangled mess of nerves.

She was on her way back to the bookstore located by the Capital's black market, but unlike her usual trips where she would be buying more novels or rare stories for her collection, she was meeting up with the guy from her last visit there. He had replied to her letter with a short answer, simply agreeing to the meet up and telling her to send a letter the day she was free and to wait outside the same place they first met.

And despite her being the one to ask him if he would like to talk to her in person again, she had to prepare herself for meeting this Magna guy once more. In all honesty, she probably wouldn't have sent him the letter this morning if she hadn't been goaded by her old friend Ferne. Even in a letter, Ferne had a way of pushing Fritzi into doing stuff. She always had been the one of the two of them to have more backbone, and Fritzi was certainly more than a bit sad they weren't in the same squad. Even if she could understand why her friend had been happier to join the Crimson Lion Kings instead of Blue Rose...

As it was right now, Fritzi was trying to be as brave as Ferne by fighting not to turn tail and just hide in her room for the rest of forever. Magna still scared her, but she still wanted to know if he was such a bad guy as he appeared.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to face her fears head on like she did before battle. Changing her nervous gait into a confident strut, she continued her trek to the shop.

Once she was with a thirty foot radius of the shop, she looked around to see if she could spot Magna. She might have only seen him once, and several weeks ago, but it was hard to forget a strange hairstyle and purple glasses like his. However, he didn't seem to be outside the shop.

She went inside, doing a quick scan or two between the rows of bookshelves to see if he was around, even asking the rude shop keep from before if he'd seen any Magic Knights with a Black Bulls robe in the shop that day. He only shrugged and ignored her.

Instantly annoyed with the man, she just turned to step back outside and wait. There wasn't a chance in hell she'd buy another book from such an asinine store owner.

Standing beside the wall and observing any passerby, Fritzi hoped she wasn't going to end up waiting for hours only for him to not show up. He should have been more exact with a specific day and time instead of just telling her to send him a message and wait outside the shop.

Sighing, she looked up at the sky again, noting the clouds getting more dense. She hoped she wouldn't need to walk back in the rain. She didn't have an umbrella on her.

But the breeze felt nice since the weather had been so hot lately, and she was lost in her ruminations of the many ways she could describe the changes a large city would undergo for something as delicate as rainfall. It was almost comical how water falling from the sky could effect the world so much. Also scary...

"You sure picked a lousy day to meet up..."

Fritzi's shoulders jerked upwards a fraction as her eyes darted towards her left to see the scowling face of none other than that cocky fellow from the Black Bulls. He quickly grinned as he saw he'd startled her, but then, that probably had been his intention.

* * *

Magna had been sorely tempted to pretend the letter from that Fritzi chick had shown up a day late to avoid going out when it looked like it might rain at some point. But it went against his morals to let her just stand outside that shop waiting for him to never show. He could be a bit of an ass at times, but he wasn't that cruel.

He realized it had been an error on his part when he told her just to send a letter and wait, but it was too late now. And seeing as he saw her waiting patiently by the bookstore, he supposed it didn't matter.

She had a spacy look on her face as she stared at the sky, clearly not even registering the fact he was less than ten feet away. Did she normally wander about with her head in the clouds? That was far from safe in this part of town...

But he did find it vastly amusing how startled she looked when he said "You sure picked a lousy day to meet up..."

Grinning from ear to ear, he chided "Even for a chick from Blue Rose, you sure are terrible at paying attention to your surroundings." Changing to a frown, he added, "You do know a lot of people would take advantage of that, right? Especially in seedy places like this... If I'd known you were such a space case I'd have picked somewhere less dangerous for you to let your mind wander off while waiting..."

Judging from the red in her cheeks, she was probably embarrased or annoyed. As she spoke however, her tone was rather bland.

"As much as I appreciate your concern, I can take care of myself. And as for the weather, I wasn't aware it might prove so abysmal..."

Deciding that despite how fun it was to see her face turn red at his teasing, her monotone voice annoyed him. He just shrugged before replying with, "Whatever you say... so, had any ideas on what you wanted to do while trying to 'get to know me better' like you wanted?"

Whats-her-face stared at the ground for a bit, lost in thought again. He was getting tempted to just tell her if she was going to be silent the whole time he'd just leave, but she opened her mouth just as he was about to do the same.

"I really didn't think this far ahead... maybe just walk around until we bump into something?" she mumbled.

Her tone was less lifeless this time, so regardless of his irritation at her dragging him out here without a plan, he just bit out a grumbling sigh. "If that's what you wanna do girlie, be my guest... which way?"

"Fritzi. Not girlie..." she replied as she started walking in the direction of the normal shopping district.

Following after, he let out an amused laugh as he told her, "Whatever floats your boat Franny..."

Fritzi's eyes narrowed, but she didn't bother correcting him again. Instead she just said, "Two can play at that game...  _Maggie_..."

There was that spark of sass. Even if she had him miffed at the name she chose to call him in retaliation, he snickered despite the burn of humiliation in his cheeks. "Damn, there's that smart mouth from last time. I was starting to worry I'd get bored hanging around you today."

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "I can tell you're gonna be a headache in the making."

"You're the one who wanted to meet up. You said yourself I'm a guy who is 'true to my feelings', so you were well aware of what you were walking into."

Fritzi just tilted her head to look him in the eye with a concentrated stare. "You're right. You may be annoying, but you are certainly not one to beat around the bush..."

Magna's eyebrow twitched a bit. Who was she calling annoying?!

A rumble of thunder rolled overhead, dragging his attention away from replying with anger as he noticed the rain starting to drip down before quickly pouring down. Instinctively dragging Fritzi over to the nearest building to avoid getting completely soaked, she followed behind with an awkward run.

Once they were inside, he took a second to observe the room they were standing in. It looked like a shoddy tavern with the patrons giving them odd looks.

Wiping her damp curls out of her face, Fritzi sighed. "Well, I guess walking around in this weather was a bad idea..."

Still pissed at her calling him annoying, he gave her a glare with the comment, "No shit..." Maybe getting rained on had made him more angry than he should have been, but he still was having regrets meeting up with this brat. Before thinking on it, he added, "I think once the rain passes we should just head our different ways. Clearly we just are going to argue otherwise. It should let up soon at this rate..."

Walking towards the bar, he didn't bother looking at her. As he sat down and ordered a drink, she sat in the seat beside him. However, besides ordering a cup of tea, she stayed silent.

He chugged his beer trying to ignore her. But he could hear the whispers of the other customers behind him.

"... awfully strange. A Blue Rose and Black Bull in the same room, let alone next to each other?"

"... not normal. Did you see her face when he talked to her? Very suspicious..."

Geez, had these people nothing better to do than gossip? They couldn't even wait until he'd left before making accusations.

And of course, there had to be another magic knight step in. Stepping up towards them and clearing his throat, Magna noted the Purple Orcas robe the guy was wearing.

"Pardon me fair miss? Would you perhaps like to accompany me to my table?"

Gritting his teeth, Magna could clearly see what was going on. Rescue the poor maiden from the nasty Black Bulls delinquent. And seeing how she turned to look at the would be saviour, she was going to ditch him. It pissed him off, but he did say something pretty harsh to her.

"No thank you. I want to spend what time I have left with my companion here." Her tone was sweet, but it hid a faint annoyance.

Eyes widening as he paused with his glass halfway to his mouth, Magna listened closely as his mind reeled at her words. Did she really just reject that guy's offer after he'd pretty much snapped at her?

The fellow from the Purple Orcas was clearly stunned as well. "Surely you must be joking? You'd rather spend time with a member from that loser squad? He's not coercing you is he?"

Okay, that was hitting way below the belt. Fixing the guy with a look that expressed his full anger, Magna was already channeling his mana to kick this guy's ass. However, Fritzi beat him to it.

"You're rather bothersome, aren't you..." All traces of sweetness were gone from her voice. "I don't particularly care for the notion you think I would let a man  _coerce_  me into anything. You Purple Orcas must think an awful lot of yourselves if you think a member of Blue Rose needs saving when she's enjoying a cup of tea with an acquaintance."

Ouch, way to prick the man's ego... But instead of sympathy, Magna just chuckled at the barbs she was tossing at this guy.

The man clearly was infuriated at her words. "My mistake for thinking some shrew had tastes in good company. Your captain clearly let's you women have too much freedom with a sharp mouth, regardless of your birth."

She merely raises a brow. "Is that a challenge? You are the one sticking your nose where it doesn't belong? Surely you can handle the consequences of slandering my companion and Captain Charlotte? Or are you too much a coward to face your retribution?"

She really was laying into the guy. He pulled out his grimoire and a blue glow shimmered, before a hole was left where the front door once stood. "A girl like you should learn her place. But as a gentleman, I'll allow you to make the first move? Try not to cry once you lose..."

Magna was ready to intervene. She really didn't need to go this far as to fight this jerk?

However, she just casually sipped her tea and placed a hefty bag of coins on the counter. Speaking to the barkeep, she said, "Apologies in advance for the damage..."

The next thing he knew, Magna saw a flash of green and a large creature with massive orange fists shoot towards Fritzi's opponent and send him flying through the wall. Upon closer inspection, he saw the fists were really just giant pumpkins attached to vines that made up its' arms, like the rest of it's unusual body.

Standing up, the golem's owner just looked out the hole and sighed. "For all that talk, he sure went out cold fast..."

Not at all sure what to think of the situation, Magna just let out an "Eh..?"

In the end, the barkeep asked them to leave, but at least gave them umbrellas to walk outside with. Despite him telling her they could split up once they left, Magna found himself walking alongside Fritzi. Thinking for a moment or two, he nudged her with his elbow.

"You know, you aren't half bad Fritzi. That pumpkin thing was pretty bad ass... Kinda sucks we got kicked out though. That Purple Orca loser started it..."

She looked at him funny, not saying anything.

"What? Something on my face?" he asked.

"You actually said something positive to me. Even used my real name that time... So you  _are_  capable of being nice..." she said with a sly grin.

Huffing, he just shrugged. "I mean obviously? A real man isn't heartless enough to be a jerk when someone says something nice, so I think you more than deserve to hear how awesome it was when you clobbered that pompous bastard. You could have just ditched me after I snapped at you, ya know..."

Stepping around a puddle, she replied "Yeah, maybe... but it wouldn't have been right. You said we could go our own ways when it stopped raining, but you didn't say I had to go hang out with someone else. Besides, your squad doesn't deserve to have another nasty rumor tacked onto it, especially something like forcing women to do things. You weren't forcing me to do anything... Then he said something about my captain that was unsavory, as well as towards the other commoners in my squad... He had it coming."

Letting out a hum of thought, he grinned. "You know, you may be in a squad of man-haters, but you are pretty alright."

Stopping in her tracks, Magna turned to see what exactly her problem was now. She was wide-eyed and her face was red again. Was she angry he called her squad man-haters?

But as Fritzi broke into a warm smile, he realized she wasn't upset at all. Happy even...

Damn, he didn't get many girls smiling at him. When had the last time been? Not counting the ones in his squad of course... But other than them, he was pulling a blank. It was a warm feeling having someone smile at you, and she had a nice one.

Realizing she was standing in a puddle, Fritzi kept walking. "Thank you..." she mumbled.

Falling into an even pace beside her rather quickly, he placed a hand on the back of his neck nervously. Clearing his throat, he said "The rain still hasn't let up... wanna get some food or something?"

Smiling even brighter, she nodded.

Damn, what exactly had he gotten into?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet. :3

As it turned out, Magna found himself actually wishing the rain would have lasted a bit longer. Which was strange with how much he disliked it. He'd been talking with Fritzi about the books he liked over their meal, actually glad he could be a bit more open about his hobby with someone. She'd even given him a few reccomendations for some of the newer titles.

But once they noticed the bad weather had passed, Fritzi had stood up, clearly still taking his earlier words to heart. Magna wanted to berate himself for telling her to leave once the weather permitted it before, but he didn't try to stop her. She still had been kind to him as she paid for her half of the bill, saying she was glad of all things that he accepted her invitation to see each other again.

Magna just nodded, but as she wished him a safe trip back to his base, he said thanks, even if he'd be fine. When she was gone, he realized he'd wanted to say something else, but it was too late unless he decided to chase her down. He just finished his drink, paid for his own meal and left. Fritzi probably would think him a creep if he decided to follow her, and after her defending him and his squad's reputation being further dragged in the mud, he for some reason cared she didn't think poorly of him enough to change her mind.

After all, he couldn't face his captain or friends if he allowed such a disgusting rumor start about their squad, even if it was untrue. She had prevented that, and he supposed it mattered to him she was decent enough of a person to care about keeping such nasty accusations away from his squad's highly tarnished but still good name. Fritzi was willing to see the good side of the Black Bulls, even if he'd been rather harsh to her.

But he still was itching to say something to her, even once he'd made it back home. The others who'd been present in the main room of the base gave him a funny look as he walked in, tiredly announcing his return. Not that he noticed. He just kept walking, heading upstairs to take a bath and decide what to do from there.

Once he was gone, Asta spoke up. "Magna has a weird look on his face. It wasn't quite sad, but not angry either. He just didn't look like he was completely here."

Vanessa chimed in, "He did seem rather off. I wonder what's eating at him."

It was a silent for a few minutes. Finral then questioned, "Maybe something to do with those letters he's getting? I noticed he received another this morning before he left. He looked upset then, but now he's just looking like he's got something weighing on his mind."

Placing his chin between his thumb and index finger, Asta looked thoughtful. "Maybe he really is doing some top secret stuff?"

"I sincerely doubt that. Magna isn't exactly the type for those missions." Noelle said, but seeming to be as unsure as Asta.

Finral shook his head. "No, if that was the case, wouldn't Captain Yami be getting the letters? Besides, I noticed the seal on the letters, or at least two of them, are from someone in Blue Rose."

Vanessa scowled at the mention of the squad. "What's Magna doing with someone in Blue Rose? That makes absolutely no sense."

Asta looked apprehensive. "Finral! It's not right to look at someone else's mail!"

Making a shushing gesture at the loud anti-mage, Finral gave a brief look upstairs. "Even if I only glanced at the outside, I would prefer Magna not know that. I don't know what he's doing with this person, so I can't answer that. I do admit I am jealous if he's talking with one of the pretty ladies from Blue Rose..."

Vanessa looked rather displeased. "Get a grip Finral. There's no chance Magna is wasting time with one of those girls. Pretty much all of them hate men, and he's also clueless when it comes to the opposite sex."

"True enough. I don't see him wooing any girls anytime soon," the spatial magic user admitted, lifting his hands in a defeated gesture.

The conversation dissolved when Magna returned from his bath, hair down and holding another letter in his hand that he placed on the table to be mailed out in the morning. They tried not to seem obvious about their interest.

However Asta, lacking any sort of notion about subtlty, just straight out asked, "Hey Magna? You've been getting a lot of letters lately... Do you have a pen pal or something?"

Magna gave Asta a surprised look, and Noelle punched the oblivious blonde in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Asta whined.

Noelle glared. "Do you even use your brain before you speak?"

Giving a grin, Magna didn't seemed to mind Asta's question, further confusing those present. "Eh. Hoping so... anyways, night guys."

As Magna went back upstairs to get some sleep after the long day, he tried not to let his hopes get up too high about the contents of the letter he was sending to Fritzi. Crawling in bed, he decided he was too tired to read tonight and just rolled over to doze off.

Meanwhile his friends downstairs were stumped as to whatever the hell it was Magna was up to, and resolved to let it be. At least for now.


	10. Chapter 10

The first conscious thought Fritzi had as she lay in bed while waking up, was that she was humming. But as she realized this, whatever song she had been humming then vanished from her mind.

Suddenly annoyed at the fact she couldn't remember the tune, she took a deep breath and sat up to stretch out her muscles. As she gathered her clothes and walked into the bathroom to prepare for the day, she wrestled with her mind for some hint of the song, but even as she washed up, trying to mimic the humming from before, she eventually gave up. Maybe it would come back to her in time?

Deciding it probably wasn't important, she stepped back into her room, grimacing at the mess of papers littering her desk from the night before. Picking up the stray papers that landed on the floor somehow, Fritzi placed them back on her desk before she ventured outside her room in search of breakfast.

Having reached the dining area, Fritzi schooled her features to appear aloof. Shoulders pulled back and putting effort into appearing graceful, yet confident in her mannerisms, she walked inside to gather a tray of food for herself before finding a secluded place to eat. Normally it was the one of the windows with a clear view of the garden, and as luck would have it, her favorite one was currently vacated. If one paid attention, you could see a family of robins that nested there in one of the crevices.

Once situated, she lightly bit into a plain piece of toast. No jam or butter, which she used to slather on when she was a child, both at the same time. After all, she still recalled the horrified expressions of some of the other girls the first few times she did that. Being not so discreetly called a barbaric commoner with a greedy appetite behind her back had taken away all the pleasure she used to get from eating her favorite breakfast in her own quirky way.

As it was, the bread made by the cook at Blue Rose headquarters was rather good. However, Fritzi still retained the biased opinion that the bread her father and mother made was the best in the world. As well as any baked goods she had been spoiled with growing up.

Having been staring at the ceiling above, she was lost in her thoughts as her grey eyes traced the twining briars painted in gold, leading to a graceful chandelier that was carefully crafted to resemble a rose. The rare magic crystals were even a blue color befitting the particular magic knight's squad who dined in the room, crystals that glowed all by themselves in the evenings. As of now, the morning rays of light streaming through the windows caught on the stones, reflecting rainbow hued specks of light about the area.

Fritzi still was in awe of the beauty of this room, of all the ones in the castle if she was to be honest. But beauty or not, she still retained a fear of her clumsiness and the worry she break some valuable heirloom and never have enough funds, no matter how much she earned as a magic knight, to pay off such a debt. She still sometimes feared if she so much as breathed the wrong way, the chandelier itself would crash down around their heads and the ramifications of such a thing happening were too much to think about.

The clearing of a throat beside her nearly startled her, but Fritzi stopped herself from flinching away at the abrupt noise. After all, Michael seemed nervous enough as it was.

Giving him a kind smile, she hoped it would put him at ease. "How are you today Michael? I hope you are well?"

As he gave a bow, Fritzi tried not to roll her eyes at the fact Folia was whispering with another girl while not even trying to hide the fact she was pointing in her direction. Whatever was said was apparently of some amusement as they laughed.

Michael stood straight, giving a small smile. "I am well. I have found another letter addressed to you, Miss Fritzi," he said, placing the letter in her hands.

"Thank you Michael, that's very kind of you..." Fritzi started with a grin, but her face became more stern as she added, "I'm grateful for you delivering my mail to me, but it's not an obligation, you know. You have enough on your hands besides taking time out of your schedule to hand deliver them to me when I can easily gather them myself..."

"I-it's okay... I like doing it." Michael then pushed up his glasses as his green eyes nervously examined the floor. Clearing his throat, he added, "May I be of any other assistance Miss Fritzi?"

Arching a brow in curiosity, she shook her head. "No, that's alright..."

Yet again bowing, Fritzi wanted to almost snap at him to stop doing that, but as he turned to walk past Folia and her group, she instead called out, "Hey Michael? Actually may I ask a favor?"

Turning back, he smiled. "Of course. How can I help?"

Cursing herself, Fritzi quickly tried to think of something. Unbeknownst to the boy, it really had been a ploy to prevent him tripping over Folia's extended foot. But looking down, she quickly realized she had an excuse as to send him in a direction away from the embarrassment of falling on his face.

Doing her best to look sheepish, she said "I do apologize, but would you mind taking this tray and putting it away? I would do it myself, but I have just recalled a matter of importance I have to take care of immediately..."

"There's no trouble at all ma'am..." Michael said as he picked up the tray.

Standing up, Fritzi placed a hand on his shoulder in thanks. "Take care now..."

Going out of the dining room, she paused long enough to carefully leave a pumpkin vine that crawled under Folia's table and wrapped itself about one of the legs and loosely hang itself about her ankle.

 _A taste of her own medicine_ , Fritzi thought with a small hum. Once it was touched it would vanish, but it would stay long enough to do the job.

Trying not to feel too satisfied as she turned the corner and not several moments later a loud shriek, followed by a thud sounded, she examined the letter.

Recognizing the untidy scrawl of a handwriting, as well as the black sealing wax that held a familiar symbol, she was suddenly confused.

It was from Magna...

Pausing a second, she stepped outside and into the courtyard to get a more peaceful environment to read what he had to say.

While the castle was a beautiful structure full of endless lavish decorations, the garden was the place Fritzi felt the most at ease. The stone walkways and bubbling water fountains were still on the ritzy side, but it was easier to pretend the priceless blue roses and countless other plant life were just extensions of nature instead of another room full of firm reminders she was lucky to be allowed to see such extravagance.

The roses were lovely of course, but her favorite parts of the garden were the beds of flowers found from various places across the Clover kingdom, and some from outside it as well. There were countless wildflowers much like the ones she grew up seeing back in the common realm that stayed in full bloom year round thanks to the spells placed in the area.

Then there was this nice patch of lilies that hid a stone bench. If she stayed quiet, no one would notice her there for hours at a time. It was here she settled to read her letter away from prying eyes.

Truth be told, she wasn't at all sure what to think. All the other letters passed between them, she had at least an iota of an idea whether or not Magna would write her back when she replied. But after the fact they had parted on good terms, she thought it was over and done with. No more letters.

This one was a bit of a surprise. Well, more than a bit.

Sliding her fingers under the flap to loosen the wax and free the letter, Fritzi's mind was full of questions about what he possibly wanted to write to her about. Maybe a question about the books she told him about? Or maybe to tell her she forgot something when she left the tavern the night before? She did occasionally forget her notepads in random places...

Once she had the letter in her hands, Fritzi took a deep breath and decided to see for herself what he had to say.

_To the still snobby but kinda cool chick from Blue Rose,_

_I realized there was something I wanted to ask you, but it was after you left when I thought of it. But before that, I wanted to say... sorry I guess, for being a bit of a jerk yesterday? I still am surprised you bothered sticking up for me and my squad alongside your own to that creep and all the others in that pub..._

_I know I said I didn't want to bump into you again, but I thought about it after talking to you in person. You are still a pain in my ass, but I did like talking to you once you actually relaxed and started showing some emotions on your face. No offense, but if I wanted to talk an unfeeling rock, there's a castle full of them here at HQ..._

_If you ever think you have time to unwind and need to chat, I wouldn't mind hanging out again? Up to you though..._

_Signed, the ever manly Magna Swing_

Feeling her face burn, Fritzi still couldn't fight the twitch of a smile on her lips.

"Of all the cheeky... ugh..." she said, not even remotely offended by his comments, but rather amused. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Carefully refolding the letter and taking a deep breath, she studied a few finches perched on the fence maintaining the wildflowers as she thought about his suggestion. She did recall enjoying herself when they talked to each other. And it wouldn't hurt to talk to someone new, especially since Magna was rather nice at times when he wasn't being a snarky asshole.

"I may just have to take him up on that offer sometime..." she said to no one in particular.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Split this into two so I could give you guys some sort of update. XD

"Magna, I really owe you one... I wasn't sure I'd have gotten to the Capital in time since Finral already left... Thank goodness I caught you as you were heading out the door!" Asta chuckled, the wind making his eyes water as Crazy Cyclone was cruising past some cloud formations.

Smiling while keeping an eye out for air traffic, Magna replied, "No sweat. Birthday present shopping for the kids back home? I'm glad to help out with such a manly task. And besides, I have business there anyways.”

Letting out a hum in thought, the ash blonde anti-mage then recalled, “Oh yeah, you normally go to the gambling den on our pay days. I hope it goes well!”

“Yeah, me too. Last time when I sent my winnings back home, they sent me back a nice letter.” As they flew over their destination to find a place to land, a thought occurred to him. “Might go try to see them sometime, check on how they are doing. Sosshi Village too…”

Asta waited until they touched down before saying, “That sounds like a great idea now that you say it. I might do that too when I get the chance.” Hopping off Crazy Cyclone, he let out a faint cry of surprise as he wobbled a bit, seeing as his foot landed in a hole in the pavement.

“Watch your step Asta.” Magna advised, already placing a binding spell as he scowled at the ground riddled with holes big enough to twist an ankle in. “Geez, you think they would fix up these backroads at some point? Must have been a fight here at some point and somebody’s magic drilled these in the rock. We’ll just have to be a bit careful walking back through here later, especially if it’s dark by then.”

“Yeah, you said it. At least the market isn’t too far from here?” Frowning, Asta glanced at the holes in concern for a moment.

Noticing the serious look his friend was giving, Magna nudged him with his elbow. “We better get going.” With that he started walking out of the alley way.

“Yeah… something feels odd about those holes though?” Shrugging and deciding to let it go for the moment, Asta followed. “Anyways, I guess this is where we-uhm, Magna?”

Pausing in his stride, the fire mage gave a confused look. “Yeah? What’s up?”

Jutting a thumb in the opposite direction of where his senior was heading, Asta’s green eyes clouded with confusion. “Isn’t the black market that way? Your heading towards the regular market. Can’t you get into trouble gambling in that area?”

Inwardly cursing at the question, Magna tried to think up a way to explain where he was off to. “Uhh… Well, it is, but… I kinda have something to do before going to the gambling den…”

“Oh… Should I meet up with you somewhere else then?”

Sweating a bit nervously, he tried thinking of an excuse, but decided a vague answer might be in his best interest. “Nah, I’m just meeting up with someone for a bit. I’ll be over playing poker and have won enough to triple my wages by the time you finish shopping.”

Understanding the situation now, Asta grinned. “I see. Well, I hope it goes well with your friend.”

Glad he didn’t have to elaborate further, Magna let out a small chuckle of relief. “I just hope she isn’t going to space out and get lost. Anyways, see ya.”

"Later!"

Continuing his way towards the normal market in a separate direction than Asta, Magna wondered if it would be such a bad thing to tell his friends about Fritzi. She was a nice enough girl, which was saying a lot with the other women in her squad. It would probably make them glad to know there was another person who didn’t see their squad as a menace or just a group of rejects. But that would also lead into a discussion of how he met her, and that would mean revealing his secret trips to the bookstore. He still wasn’t ready to let them be aware of that just yet…

He had actually been planning this ever since Fritzi wrote him back and said she would actually like seeing him again. It had helped asking Yami about the next pay day, seeing as he could plan beforehand when he might be able to have a day off. Still, there had to be an easier way to tell each other if they can make it or not.

Magna was actually glad Fritzi could make it today. She didn’t have a long time to chat unfortunately,  since she mentioned a reconnaissance mission she had to be ready for before nightfall. But the fact that she made time for him... it made him glad to know at least one person besides the ones of his squad and in the forsaken realm didn’t want to avoid him just because of how he looked.

They both had decided to meet by the water fountain in the market square. It was a popular enough location to find without too much hassle, and there was less chance of Fritzi being caught unawares in a crowded area. She said she could handle herself, and the pumpkin creature she had summoned up that one time had shown that _quite_ well, but there was always situations where she could be taken by surprise. He didn’t want to say he worried about her, but he still was uncomfortable with how she seemed to have her guard down when she was lost in thought.

Once he reached the square, he looked around to see if a tiny brunette with a Blue Rose robe was by the fountain. Not yet it seemed, but there was still plenty of time to wait for her. Sitting on one of the benches situated within site, he could easily keep an eye out for whenever she showed up.

About ten minutes or so passed, while a good amount of the pedestrians gave him a wide berth, either avoiding eye contact or just openly glaring at him. Not that he cared. He wasn’t doing anything wrong by sitting there. If they had a problem with it, they could just as easily get over it. He wasn’t here for them or their pety judgement, so they literally could take their assumptions and stuff it.

Leaning back with his legs covering the seat, he crossed his arms behind his head and made a show of getting comfortable. Basically his way of giving a middle finger to anyone bothered by him just being there.

“Well, you look smugly content…”

Peeking up at the speaker who was standing over him, Magna’s scowl actually changed into a small, relieved smile. “Good to see you made it.”

Fritzi tried fighting a smile, but clearly was losing. “Yeah, sorry I ran a bit late. Captain Charlotte was debriefing me on some important details for tonight, and seeing as one of my teammates I was going to work with wasn’t paying attention… It ended up taking a bit longer since she not only was scolded, but replaced with someone more attentive for the mission…”

Hearing the annoyance in her voice, Magna maneuvered back into a more decent sitting position so there was more room on the bench. “Well, that sucks. Wanna sit and relax for a few before heading off to do whatever?”

Giving a look of relief, she replied, “That sounds nice actually. What have you been up to lately?”

“Eh, not much. Training, a mission or two, one of which was another dungeon exploration. Luck thought it would be fun to ditch me with some chimera thing since he saw a bigger one he wanted to fight.” Giving a cocky grin, he added. “Not that I couldn’t handle it, but it kinda helps if he gave a warning first. Almost got a nasty bite on my ass if I hadn’t tripped over a tree root. Still, we had a good time and the treasure was pretty neat.”

“Luck is one of your squadmates, right? What’s he like?” Fritzi asked.

Glancing up at some birds in a nest nearby, he thought long and hard at how best to reply. “Bloodthirsty. Loves fighting and will challenge anyone he thinks is strong. Also a jerk when it comes to his pranks…” Pausing for a moment, he said, “He joined the Black Bulls same time I did, and honestly? He’s one of the best friends a guy could ask for. May be a bit crazy, but then again, who isn’t?”

Fritzi was perhaps a bit concerned at the description, but it was hard not to see Magna meant every word with that smile on his face. “I’ll be honest. He does sound a bit crazy, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I actually find it really nice you get along with your squad mate. I… kinda envy that a bit.”

“What do you mean by that?” Magna asked.

Watching the water gush for a few moments, Fritzi let out an exhausted sigh. “It’s… complicated I suppose. But it’s not really something I want to talk about right now. Besides,” she said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a grin. “I rather have fun with you than spend the few hours we have complaining.”

“Fair enough I guess… Well, what do you want to do first?”

“Heh… I’m afraid I’m a bit boring in what I consider fun activities… most of my free time I’m writing or doing something to keep my hands busy.” Frowning at her lack of ideas, she warily suggested. “Would... browsing the shops for now be alright with you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Besides, I can’t really go too far today.” Magna answered, keeping Asta in mind. “You’ll have to lead the way however. I don’t really shop in this area much…”

Smiling in relief, she stood up. “I’ll show you this really nice antique shop I go to that sometimes has rare books! Oh! And there’s this lovely stationery place with a huge variety of writing and art supplies!”

Magna remained seated, stunned at the sudden amount of enthusiasm Fritzi was expressing. She looked really excited about things as simple as pens and paper, and he kinda liked it.

Looking back at him in confusion, she paused in her joyful chatter. “Magna? Are you okay? You look like something is on your mind.”

Shaking his head, he finally stood up. “Nah, it’s just strange seeing you go from a rock one day to an actual person so fast.”

Crossing her arms with a huff, Fritzi said. “Well that’s just rude.”

“Not that it’s a bad thing. You have a nice smile, so it’s a good kind of strange,” he explained, his hand on his neck as he tried to avoid looking sheepish.

“Good kind of strange?” she repeated, before giving a small laugh. “I like that.”

Feeling rather accomplished at hearing her laugh, even a little bit, he asked, “So Fritzi, after browsing wanna grab a bite to eat?”

“You bet!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art credited to [JirachiAtSundown](https://jairaatsundown.tumblr.com/post/185757565891/mypart-to-an-art-trade-with-aruka-syrafx)
> 
> THANK YOU FOR THE ART TRADE!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Sorry for the wait... been busy and stuff, so next chapter update is a mystery. At least I have the whole story planned out now at least? XD

Magna tried hard not to scowl at two old women who were not-so-secretly whispering behind their hands as he passed. He was wondering if maybe being in such a public place was a good idea. Even if the back streets were shady as hell, no one gave a damn if he was around, provided they weren’t doing anything to hurt others. At least the kind he could do something about. People getting hurt physically was one thing, but he couldn’t do much to protect a damaged reputation. At least not one that wasn’t his own, and even then he could only do so much.

She wasn’t showing signs of paying attention to any who were whispering, moving to the opposite side of the street, and even pointing on occasion as he passed, but he knew Fritzi couldn’t be oblivious to it. She was walking right beside him, and as spacey as she was, he knew she could see and hear just fine despite her pretending, and the fact she was trying to put on a brave face irked him in some way. He just wasn’t sure whether it was more at her or the fact the situation made her feel she had to do it.

He had been having a good enough time with her back in that stationary shop, even if he had not been sure what to do besides follow her around as she browsed and talked to him about some of the things that caught her eye. He wanted to stay by the door where it was clear he wasn’t going to steal anything, but she had wanted to show him some paper that was apparently indestructible, and the fact she seemed so excited about it had blown that plan to pieces.

One thing Magna was good at was reading a person’s body language. The fact he could see right through the clerk at the shop, how their grin was definitely forced as they tried to act like they weren’t tailing them to watch him, it didn’t leave any doubt in his mind.

Fritzi ended up purchasing some of the paper which seemed to put the store owner at ease a bit, but not so much as the fact they were leaving than anything else. She hadn’t said much since they left the shop, and he was hoping she wasn’t feeling regret for spending her time with him. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask her if she was alright, but she had already started talking before he could.

“So I was… oh. Sorry, did you want to say something?” she said, looking nervous she had cut him off before he could speak.

“Nah, it’s fine. What were you saying?” he asked, feeling a bit relieved.

“Uhh… well? Oh, that's right!” she said suddenly, apparently just recalling her train of thought. “You told me a bit about your friend Luck, but I wanted to ask you about your other squad mates too. I know a bit about your captain that mine has mentioned on occasion, but otherwise your squad is a mystery beyond a lot of rumors.”

Smirking, he at least was glad she was giving him a topic he was good at explaining. “Yeah, sure. But where to start?”

The question was more to himself, but she answered anyways. “Well… are there many women on your squad?”

He honestly wasn’t sure why it surprised him she asked about the girls he knew first. She was a member of a squad full of more women than men, so she was probably curious about the ones from the Black Bulls and if they were like the ones she was used to. He tried not to think she had likely heard about some of the more cruel things said about them, however the thought did linger, much to his displeasure. Still, she was asking him instead of someone who didn't know the real Black Bulls. He would just have to make certain she knew the good sides of his female squad mates as much as some of their vices.

“There’s… a few yeah? Let’s see…” He smiled at the first to come to his mind. “Well, there’s Vanessa. She’s older than me, probably close to Captain Yami’s age or a few years younger. Loves booze and can knock down a bottle a wine like it’s nothing.” Inwardly wincing after he said that, he recalled not everyone was impressed with a woman who could keep down her liquor. “Uh… but she’s pretty amazing at sewing? She has this cool magic that makes it easy for her to fix clothes and kick some ass at the same time. She’s always there when you need to talk to someone. And I mean, she gives good advice most of the time, but she always teases the hell outta me.”

Fritzi poked his shoulder with a smirk. “Well, I can guess why.”

Magna nudged her back. “Try messing with someone your own size. Your odds will work out better.”

“I’m small, but I would be careful if I were you. I grew up with a rather good prankster or two…” she warned. “But I have to admit, I’m a bit jealous that your friend Vanessa can fix clothes so easy. I can sew decently, but it takes me awhile to get anything done I’m afraid.”

“Not good with needles or something?” he asked.

“It’s not that, I am just not good at sitting still for that long. I was more fond of helping cook or care for the animals. But I can crochet a bit? Enough to make a scarf and hat in about three or four days.” Shrugging, she added, “It helped during the winter months back home at least. Crocheting seemed easier for me to do since it required focus to keep count of the stitches.”

It was then a light bulb flickered in Magna’s head. The odds of her being a noble were very slim if she could do all that. “Are you from the common realm too?”

She beamed at him with her eyes shining with pride. “Sorta. A bit closer in the sticks, but still bordering the common realm. You too, I’m guessing?”

Letting out a bark of laughter, he grinned. “I’m from way out in the sticks. Little village called Rayaka.”

Fritzi seemed to practically be glowing as she heard that. “Woah! I have a cousin who lives there with her husband! She says it a nice place!”

“You bet! Granted, it’s nowhere near as convenient as here in the capital, but they are all good folks and last I heard they were planning on sowing wheat for next year. It would really help the village thrive a bit.” Magna was thrilled more than he realized. How cool was it she knew about his home village?

“You are kidding me? Abby said they had to wait four years at least to do that! That’s fantastic! But how..?” she trailed off, her face getting flushed as she seemed genuinely happy at that news.

That was a point Magna hesitated. It would have been easy to tell her he had helped by sending home his wages, definitely earning her admiration if he could guess from her previous reactions. He had a reason to be cocky, but…

“I… I don’t know honestly? Still, I’m glad they are doing well.”

Seeming to have tamed her enthusiasm a bit, she nodded in agreement. “I know Abby mentioned she’s expecting a new baby, and if her husband can get more work… I am happy to know that, thank you so much for telling me.”

Magna felt his ears burning, and his adrenaline rushing. The smile on his face had to look dorky, but it was impossible to keep it from sticking. “I-it’s no problem.”

They continued their path to the pawn shop in silence again, but at least this silence didn’t feel bad. Fritzi stopped as she saw the sign she had been looking for.

“This is it… hopefully the owner is here today,” she mumbled.

Magna raised a brow. “Wouldn’t it be closed if they weren’t?”

“Hm. Well, it’s supposed to be. But his son sometimes is here to run it when he’s at home,” she replied a bit flatly. Her grey eyes seemed a bit cloudy as she said that, so he just followed her as they stepped inside.

There was a layer of dust on just about everything, and there was literally no one but the two of them inside that could be seen. The door had been left open, but it was pretty strange since no one was behind the counter keeping watch.

“Is anyone here?” he asked, trailing a finger along some shelf filled with odd trinkets. The amount of grime clearly showed it hadn’t been cleaned in a long time.

Fritzi glanced around, her face sour as she took note of the room. Taking out her grimoire, an orange book with vines on the cover, she huffed. “Not sure, but I’m about to find out.” The book glowed a green hue as she spoke. “ _ **Pumpkin Magic: Pumpkin Patch Pursuit**_.”

Watching as a vine sprouted from the floor and small orange globes formed and twined into a creature about the size of a medium sized dog, Magna asked the first thing on his mind. “What on earth is that?”

“I call them Pumppers. Silly name, but it works.” Pausing to pat their bulbous head, she smiled, but this one seemed more sinister. “They are my tracking team. They’ll find the lout who left the door open.”

The ‘pumpper’ instantly set to work, acting like a literal bloodhound as they scattered off.

“How long do you think it will take ‘em?” he asked.

His question was already answered as a yelp was heard from a back room. Footsteps charged into the main room as a man in a battered house coat and night shirt froze as he spotted them in front of the door, Fritz's little helper trotting behind and sitting down in front of her as they waited for their next task.

“Damn it Vontúse! You got some nerve!” he barked. The man cautiously eyed Magna, seeming to realize that he wasn’t alone with her and toned down his voice. “What the hell do you want?”

“Hmph. It’s a wonder this place stays running at all if you hide from customers and growl at them like a bear, Leander.” she chided back. “I was hoping to see if your father had any new books from across the sea to sell, but I was worried seeing the door was open and no one was watching the shop.”

“... Did I not lock it?” the man asked, grizzled chin in his hand.

“No, you didn’t…” Her face relaxing in an attempt to calm down, she sighed. “I brought a friend with me who I wanted to show your dad’s collection of books. I hope you can help with that a bit?”

Glancing over at Magna, the Leander person looked skeptical. “Your friend has a weird taste in fashion.”

“Same to you buddy,” he shot back. “At least I’m not waltzing about in my pajamas…”

Shrugging, Leander scratched his graying mess of dark hair. “I’ll give you that one. But as for the old man’s books, they probably were thrown out. Hard to sell books in languages no one can read.”

“Why throw them out you idiot?! You know how long it took your dad to collect those?!” The brunette hissed. “There could be valuable information in them someday and you just casually toss them into the trash?!”

“Easy, easy! Look, I’ll poke around and see if there are still any left alright? Only oddballs like you would be interested in those things, and if I find any you can have ‘em.” Leander grouched. Frowning, he added, “Feel free to look around though. I hate to say it but we are closing for good in a week or two. Find something you like I’ll give you a discount since pops and you got on so well.”

Magna noticed the bite of her lip as Fritzi watched the fellow walk back to where he had been hiding before. Her arms were crossed, but her index finger was tapping slightly as something seemed to be bothering her again. She stopped as she moved over to a shelf, looking at the items. Silently lifting one up off the shelf, she brushed off the dust. “I’m sorry about… dragging you into that. Leander is a bit lazy, but he means well.”

Stepping closer to see what she was holding, he placed a gloved hand on top of her head. “It’s fine. Honestly like him better than the shop keep at the other place. At least he isn’t trying to hide his feelings about me being here.”

“Yeah… the stationary they have is nice, but she definitely had her nose up in the air. And those folks in the street seemed to have some issues too.” Rolling her eyes, she picked up some odd looking box with knobs all over it. “I guess I was just as bad too at one point though… which sucks seeing as you are a pretty cool guy.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, I’m used to it.”

She almost seemed to be pouting as she twisted the knobs on the weird box to see if they did anything. It faded as she reached up to try and get something off one of the higher shelves, unfortunately out of her reach.

He grabbed it for her, grinning. “Besides, not every day I get to meet a person who can admit they made a mistake, especially nice girls like you.”

“Yeah, and it’s nice to have someone able to reach the higher shelves for me,” she joked.

“What, is that it?” he retorted with a playful smile.

“I think you received more than enough praise for today you dork. Any more and you will need bigger glasses to fit your swelled head.” Turning the item he handed her over, she smiled. “This is a good find though. A bit outdated, but still perfect. I hope the matching one is still here...”

Leander returned, setting two tomes on the counter. “Anything else, Vontúse?”

“Yeah, you know where the other one to this is?” she asked, holding it up to show him.

“Ah, that thing. Yeah, two shelves over on the left.” the man said with a finger pointed in the right direction. “Should still work if I had to guess.”

“What are they exactly?” Magna was confused about what it was she was getting.

“Prototype communication magic transmitters.” Leander yawned, placing them in a bag with the books. “Not as fancy as the newer ones these days, seeing as you can’t really talk to the person, but they were handy back in the day for sending emergency missives during the wars. They encrypt messages that only the matching set can decipher, so it was useful to prevent enemies from finding out government secrets.”

“What? Why aren’t they still used? That would still be useful!” he asked.

Fritzi was the one to explain. “They use up a good bit of mana was the problem. It grew to be hazardous to use when sending multiple messages to comrades would drain them enough where they weren’t able to fight as efficiently. They were replaced rather quickly with better items that weren’t as compromising to use. But you seem to have a good sized mana pool that won’t be affected if you use it every now and then.”

Blinking owlishly, Magna wondered what this had to do with him. “Why are you buying it for me?”

“Easier for planning meet-ups than letters.” She said, handing her payment to Leander.

“Oh.”

Leander grinned. “You got some interesting friends there Vontúse. Pains me to admit it, but I’m going to miss seeing you.”

“Yeah… same here Leander. Take care of yourself…” she said, holding the bag close.

“Likewise Missy…”

* * *

 

Once they left, it was getting near the time Fritzi needed to get ready for her mission. Magna wasn’t quite willing to let her go just yet, making the excuse she said they would go eat something. They stopped at a cafe, and he was wondering what to say. He didn’t want her to leave feeling sad when she had been trying to unwind.

“Ya know… you didn’t need to pay for that item by yourself since it’s for both of us to use. I could have chipped in,” he started, taking a bite of some curry he ordered. “I’ll pay for the food since you bought it already.”

Pausing with a glass of water raised to her mouth, she raised a brow. “I don’t think you want to do that.”

“It’s fine, can’t be that bad.”

“I’m warning you, not a good idea.” Fritzi said, before stabbing a piece of cheesecake with her fork.

Sighing, he gave in. “You are stubborn.”

“Your wallet will thank me.” she replied.

Magna scoffed as he picked up the bill. “As if a cheesecake would be expensive enough to…” he trailed off.

“My magic is one that uses a lot of mana unfortunately, so I have to bulk up on calories before a mission. Maybe when I don’t have to run off to one you can pay someday.” Finishing the plate, she added. “Besides, this shop has a tab for members of Blue Rose. So long as we work, we eat for free.”

‘ _Charmy would love it if the Black Bulls had that… Captain Yami not so much_...’ he thought.

“Geez, you guys got it easy.” he complained.

“It’s nice I guess...” Fritzi started. “I am ashamed to admit I still am picky with some of the bread they have in the area... But any who, next time you want to try going somewhere outside the capital to hang out?”

He briefly wondered what she had against the bread. “Like where?”

“... good question.” she answered.

“I might know a place or two… better bring some food if we go however. It’s a bit of a distance.” Downing a glass of water, since this place didn’t sell any alcohol besides wine, he picked up his wallet. “I better get going. I have to meet up with one of my squad mates later since I’m his ride back to the base.”

Standing, she nodded. “Yeah, and I have to head off so I won’t be late. Thanks for helping me unwind a bit today. And… I hope things in Rayaka keep getting better.” Smirking, she waved. “See you later Magna.”

“Later Fritzi,” he said as they split up.

He found his way to the gambling den alright, but Noelle was with Asta when they met up with him. The fact he had an extra passenger to carry again made the holes in the alley he left Crazy Cyclone in slip his mind. He later remembered, but shook his head as he hadn’t seen any there when they returned.

Dismissing it as he fell asleep, it was long forgotten by the morning.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey hey! lookie here! and so soon? this has to be witchcraft of some kind? XD

Finral released a long sigh as he settled onto the couch next to Vanessa, who was silently sipping at a glass of wine as she stared into space. It had been a long day for him, having run errands for Captain Yami yet again and stopping to take Asta to Hage and back. The bath had helped with the soreness of his body at least, and now he just wanted to unwind a bit.

However, he had to know exactly what Vanessa seemed to be thinking about first. It would never sit well with him if he allowed her to drink herself into a breakdown all by herself. Not that she did often, but still enough times he could see some signs where it might be a possibility. The worst part was knowing it stemmed from years of loneliness when she was locked away in that cage by her own mother, with barely any human contact. At least if she wasn’t by herself in those times when the memories were too strong to ignore, she would recover within an hour or two.

Late nights, or early mornings, like these where the two of them just talked to each other meant a lot to him, whether it was him helping her pick up the pieces again, or vice versa. More often the latter, but that was something else about Vanessa. She didn't say when she was feeling overwhelmed or needed help, since she felt she had to be the one who was strong and take care of their little family.

It eased his guilt a bit when she let him ease her through the darker nights, seeing as she was always there to help him with his own burdens. How he earned her trust to such an extent was beyond him, but he never would betray that trust for anything. Vanessa was fragile in her own ways, and she was very dear to not only him, but to all the Black Bulls. He wasn’t much of a fighter, but he’d never stand by if someone hurt her, not even himself.

Plus she had a lot of blackmail material on him. As nice as she was, she could be downright terrifying if you pissed her off.

Being lazy for a change and grabbing the cup of tea he had forgotten in the kitchen via portal, he took a sip before speaking to his stargazing companion. “So, what’s on your mind?”

There was silence for a bit, only broken by the sounds of them taking a sip from their preferred beverages. Sometimes it took a bit of time for her to reply, but sure enough…

“Something is wrong with our little delinquent…” she sighed, pouring another glass of wine as she tried not to sound too worried. A failed attempt, but then, Finral knew exactly how she felt.

“Is this about his pen pal?” he asked, though knowing it probably was.

There was a brief moment where Vanessa bit her lip as if avoiding saying something unpleasant, but she sighed and decided to say it anyways. “I don’t want to be too concerned, but the thing is Magna is being sneaky. And not like the kind of sneaky he is like how he goes to those underground races he thinks we don’t know about.”

Placing his arm behind the couch, Finral gave a small smile. “He is pretty bad at lying to be fair… Still can’t believe he never even noticed us that one time we went to go see one of his matches?”

Letting out a small huff of laughter, she nodded. “Yeah, he may not be too happy to realize we saw him crash land in the mud. His ego wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Becoming more serious, she looked him in the eye as she continued. “... He seems to have something heavy on his mind, especially after yesterday. Luck ate another of his desserts he had hidden right in front of him you know? They bicker a lot but they are as thick as thieves those two… However Magna didn’t even notice until Luck kicked him in the head.”

Finral’s eyes widened, and he paused to put down his cup since he nearly spilled a bit when she told him that last part. “That’s… that’s definitely serious. How did Luck take it?”

Placing her glass on the table to retrieve another wine bottle from beside her, Vanessa thought a bit before replying. “I don’t always get the best read on what Luck is feeling. He’s always smiling even when he should be angry or sad…”

‘ _Kinda like you sometimes..._ ’ Finral thought to himself.

“... However, I get the feeling Luck was disappointed? Not like how he is when he gets turned down for a fight, but a bit more… hurt, I guess? Or more just concerned about this as much as we are, if not more so.” Placing a hand over her eyes, Vanessa looked as if she was getting a headache. “I don’t know who this pen pal Magna is writing to is, or even if they are intending to use him or something, but one thing I can see is that he’s getting invested in this person. Whoever they are... I just wish he’d tell us what’s going on.”

“... Well, one thing I can say is we will find out eventually. If we push him to tell us he’ll just avoid telling us even more. Best to let him keep that secret for now and hope for the best?” Finral said.

Scowling, Vanessa seemed to disapprove of that idea even if it held some truth to it. “I just don’t want that idiot to end up getting hurt. Or Luck either…”

Feeling a drop of sweat slip down his brow at her sudden chilly disposition, Finral decided to goad her a bit despite knowing it could end with him getting a bottle thrown at him. “I’m hoping it’s not because I mentioned the letters are coming from Blue Rose, is it? I know you aren’t too fond of their captain but…”

“It’s nothing to do with that pompous thorn woman. The girls in that group are often nobility or royals who look down their nose at both men and commoners alike. Even some of the commoners in their group are a bit harsh to try and fit in.” Vanessa snubbed.

“Women can be pretty scary. I hear the few men in their ranks are treated the same as servants.” His smile turning wistful, he added, “Even the most beautiful flowers can wound you I’m afraid, intentionally or not. But for now we can’t be sure of anything, even if it’s a girl, until Magna tells us himself. He can be stubborn, but he isn’t stupid.”

“True enough… I hate it when you’re right.” Vanessa tiredly grumbled.

Finral said nothing for a bit, only stood as he picked up the abandoned wineglass left on the table with his own dishes. Stepping into another portal to place the dishes away and grab a blanket he kept stored in a cabinet close by, he returned to find the woman passed out, her pink hair trailing over the arm of the couch.

Tucking her in since he learned long ago trying to take her to her room was a bad idea what with the trap magic in the women’s corridor, he paused. “I hate it when I’m right too sometimes…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, to note for future reference. This is definitely not going to match the canon story line even if I hoped I could... 
> 
> I do want to point out that as far as where the story could be thought of as a starting point in the canon story... perhaps after the whole Kidnapping incident in Nairn? Only I don't think the whole Eye of the Midnight Sun business will fit in as well as I had hoped... So I did try to have this fanfiction play alongside the original Black Clover plot, it's not seeming to want to cooperate along with my plans... 
> 
> I fully intend to have MOST characters not introduced before that arc still play a part in the story later. As to who they are and their roles in the story however, I leave it to you to wait and see~


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but if the chapters 15 and 16 go according to plan, it will be worth the wait.
> 
> Enjoy~

The library at Blue Rose headquarters was stacked with a fair amount of literature, chock full of enough reading material for decades if not a lifetime. Provided the lifespan was that of an average human, and they did nothing except eat, sleep, and read...

The only drawback was the contents mainly consisted of non-fiction topics, as in countless records of missions done by those of their squad, and a handful of others that had worked with them in the past. A few books on simple healing spells and potion making, some law books, one about the many types and uses of gemstones, and a cookbook or three. But otherwise, not a hint of anything for those with a desire for the whimsical or fictitious.

More often than not, it was used as a spare room or a place where one could escape for a moment's reprieve. However, Fritzi was anything but relaxed as she poured over dozens of tomes splayed out on an old table with wobbly legs, each one discussing magic types known throughout the history of the Clover kingdom, magic theory that even delved into the idea of combo magic and various possible uses, as well as several maps of the capital throughout the years.

"No no no no no… that makes no sense either… invisibility is one thing, but no one could pull off six shops across town in so little time… they had to have a back up, and who could turn that many people invisible in such a spread out area in just 20 minutes? But how could this all happen with no one seeing anything suspicious?" she muttered, running a hand through her mousy hair. It was already a mess from the same action being repeated every time one of her ideas hit a dead end.

The throbbing of her temples was not helped by the simmering anger she had. She was stuck without any leads as to how these thefts kept going unnoticed until after things had vanished.

Then there was the fact that none of the people who were supposed to be helping her were even lifting a finger. When they returned from three days of reconnaissance with nothing to show from it, they acted like it wasn’t their problem anymore.

Fritzi sometimes wondered how well things would go if she just decided to just shove the paperwork at them while telling them it was their problem to deal with for once. But then she reminded herself that as nice as that would feel in the moment, there would be heavy consequences, not just for her but those who weren’t even involved. Whoever she pushed them on would make a huge fuss, possibly even to some wealthy connections and it result in Fritzi losing her job. The one she needed to support her folks back home. That was not even the full extent of what they could do either...

The reports would likely never get done, or at least not properly, and the people who ran the shops had enough to worry about with repeatedly getting robbed than wondering if anyone was taking their concerns seriously. And it would leave a bad reputation to Blue Rose, particularly Captain Charlotte and the few who actually did their share.

Sitting back in the seat, Fritzi stared at the ceiling above as she felt guilt for even debating being so selfish. As she took a deep breath, it was almost overwhelming how much she felt she wanted to cry.

“You don’t look so good little Missy…”

The male voice behind her had Fritzi turn her face to look at the speaker so fast, she didn’t have time to fix her expression.

It was Oliver, a senior member of Blue Rose who was disturbed by the look of pain and fear on his juniors face. Lifting a hand up in a ‘at ease’ gesture, his amber eyes clouded in worry. “Sorry Fritzi… Michael was worried about you and I offered to come see you since he was busy with laundry. Glad I did, seeing how you are overworking yourself again…”

Sniffing as she pulled out a handkerchief to clean up the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, she took a deep breath and pulled the book on combo magic theory closer. “It’s okay sir. Just… a bit of emotional reading.”

Oliver scoffed. “Heh, say that to someone who hasn’t known you as long as I do. And there is literally nothing in this library that could be dubbed as ‘emotional reading’. I’ve dusted these shelves enough times to know kid.” Sighing, he peered over at some of the books and papers she had laying about. “Why not take a short break? Maybe relaxing for a while will help your mind come up with new ideas later?”

Fritzi paused to think about it. Admittedly, Oliver had been one of the first members of Blue Rose to welcome her with full sincerity. Despite his nagging, she knew he wouldn’t say anything unless she really looked awful.

And she was definitely feeling crappy at that moment… not to mention she kinda wanted to send a few letters later, and she would end up either too frustrated to do it, or end up with sloppy writing full of words that made absolutely no sense.

“...Yeah, a break might be nice,” she admitted with a sigh. Then a thought occurred to her, a way for her to clear her mind for a bit. “Can I ask a favor Oliver?”

“I can try?” he said, relieved she was being agreeable for once. “What’s the favor?”

“Can you try to pull some strings to allow me to use the kitchen? The head chef is a bit pig headed about letting me cook in there, and while I can respect that… I miss cooking stuff. It makes me feel at ease.” Picking up some of the books she was no longer using and putting them away, she traced a few of the covers absentmindedly. “It’s hard to adjust from helping my family cook for the shop to having to sit and watch while others do it. It’s not as fun that way, and doesn’t taste quite as… fulfilling I guess?”

Oliver paused. “... Something is different about you lately. You seem more… open?”

Fritzi blinked owlishly with a confused tilt to her head. “Open? How so?”

Smirking, the carrot top waved it off. “It’s a good thing, don’t worry. But I’ll con Cookie into loosening his death grip on the kitchen keys. That old goat won’t say no if I bribe him with some fine scotch.”

Chuckling a bit, the brunette shook her head. “That’s a hard bargain for him to pass up for sure. Thanks, Oliver…”

Shrugging, her superior turned away. “Anything for one of my favorite juniors. Especially if I get to try some of whatever you are making."

Giving him a smile, she replied, "Fair enough. You can be my taste tester. That way I can see how rusty I've gotten."

"Just try not to poison me. A person like me is not easily replaced." he teased.

"I'll knock nightshade in on purpose if you don't stop," she said with a deceptively sweet smile.

Watching him laugh out the door, Fritzi didn't hear the annoyed huff from behind one of the shelves. Whoever had been watching was a bit perturbed their amusement had ended.

Well, at least they still had that juicy tidbit of gossip they heard of in town from the stationary shop keep?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, decided to take your guys advice and just do the story as I see fit. Canon is cool, but I'm just going to write it however. XD

**Author's Note:**

> Art credited to  
> http://betraeyal.tumblr.com/post/181027126782/sketch-commission-for-aruka-syrafx-3


End file.
